Spread. Final First, #2

Marcy Rodriguez gets some bad news about an old friend. Dan Dipinto used to be Marcy's right-hand boy in grade school, defending him from mockery about having a girls' name and slaying bug armies together. But eventually Dan's quirks evolve from weird packed-lunch sandwiches to the sort of quietly sinister traits that can really piss a kid off. Stunned after the dust settles, Marcy is left to process his mixed feelings about a friend who thought his own feelings were so much better.
And of course, the worst feeling about something like this is wondering whether you were in some way responsible- and sometimes that's easy to wonder about. Matthew Atkinson offers you a quietly dramatic glimpse into the hellhole of childhood with this SHORT STORY from the Final First collection. Bring your mop and earbuds- this is a messy one that nonetheless deserves some meditation.